MORTON NEUROMA - EVALUATION WITH MR-IMAGING PERFORMED WITH CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT AND FAT-SUPPRESSION

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinically suspected Morton neuroma with contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with clinically suspected Morton neuroma underwent examination with conventional T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging and a combination of fat suppression and administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine. A T1-weighted spectral presaturation with inversion recovery sequence was used for fat suppression. RESULTS: In six patients, a tumor that conformed to the clinical findings was seen in the interdigital space; surgical findings in these patients correlated closely with the imaging findings in all patients. Patients without positive findings on MR images tended to have less typical clinical findings and received nonsurgical treatment. In all patients, the lesions were best depicted with the combination of contrast-enhanced imaging and fat suppression; conventional MR images either entirely failed to demonstrate the lesions or demonstrated the lesions less clearly. CONCLUSION: In patients who need imaging confirmation of a clinically suspected Morton neuroma, the combination of fat suppression and contrast enhancement provides reliable high-contrast images.